It’s been a busy offseason for Daryl Morey and the Sixers.
The team did most of its work early in free agency, securing star winger Paul George, and even got arguably the best player in the second wave of free agency with the surprise signing of Caleb Martin.
But earlier this week they made an interesting move when they agreed to terms with French forward Guerschon Yabusele. Yabusele had an impressive run for the host nation during the Paris Olympics, helping the French to a silver medal and being named to the All-Second Team. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in the NBA since 2019, with the Celtics, the team that selected him 16th overall in 2016.
Standing at 6’0″ and weighing 265 lbs in his last NBA game, Yabusele has the ideal build for a power forward, similar to Grant Williams of the Hornets.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo drew Williams as his ideal comparison for Yabusele and asked NBA talent experts how the two powerful forwards compare:
“At the beginning (of the Olympics), people were saying, ‘Grant Williams is way better than this guy!’ But by the gold medal game, a lot of people, (some) NBA talent experts … were saying they would now take him over Grant Williams, which is pretty fascinating considering he only signed with Philly for the veteran minimum of $2.1 million.”
(As always, be sure to check out the entire “No Cap Space” pod with Fischer and Dan Devine.)
After his run in Paris, it was clear that Yabusele was interested in another NBA opportunity. His contract with Real Madrid complicated things a bit with an NBA severance package of $2.5 million. According to Fischer, Yabusele is still working with his soon-to-be-former club to find a solution, but those around the Sixers felt that signing him for the league minimum salary was “too good a deal to pass up.”
It seems like the Sixers see him as much more than a typical late-August/14th man addition.
“Is there a possibility that he could be in the final lineup for Philly in certain games if everything goes right at the Olympics? I don’t think that’s that crazy.”
Using Williams as a comparison is interesting. There’s a lot of baggage there for a player traded away by the two teams that reached the NBA Finals this season. Still, Williams at his peak can add toughness and versatility to a starter-level player. With Yabusele, the Sixers could potentially achieve similar performance at a fraction of the cost – and perhaps with less baggage.
Like Williams, Yabusele’s ability to shoot threes will be key. While he didn’t shoot particularly well in the Olympics, he was efficient from beyond the arc during his time with Real Madrid. Last season alone, he hit 44.5% of his threes over the course of 64 games. It’s a shorter three-point line and the stakes will be different, but it’s encouraging nonetheless.
The other big question, according to Devine: How will Yabusele perform defensively?
“His swing skills – and this is similar to the comparison with Grant Williams – is: How mobile are you on defense? How versatile can you be on defense? You have to use not only your size to anchor in the post, but also the guard changes on the perimeter – that’s something he looked pretty good at in the Olympics for France.”
Looking at the Sixers’ roster, it was immediately apparent that there is a gap at the 4 position. While this writer believes that these concerns are somewhat overblown in the modern NBA, it makes sense to add a player who can be used as a true 4 in certain matchups. This should take the pressure off players like George and Martin and allow them to play more on the perimeter.
One interesting idea that has been floating around is to use Yabusele as a small-ball five. He certainly has the strength and physicality to do so.
Fischer entertained the idea of having Yabusele fill a role as a utility bench big like the veteran Larry Nance Jr. Devine, who knows how painful it is for Sixers fans to see how little playing time Joel Embiid is getting, said Yabusele could be an ideal alternative to a traditional backup big like Andre Drummond.
“If Yabusele can do that, that would be absolutely amazing. In Philly’s multi-year, multi-generational history, it’s the ongoing saga of what you try to do when Joel Embiid isn’t on the field. To have Andre Drummond as an equal option and then Yabusele as kind of a change of pace, that’s pretty interesting.”
It seems like the Sixers see Yabusele as more than just a backup or backup. They seem to be hoping the “Dancing Bear” can compete for legitimate rotation minutes. While there aren’t many traditional fours on the roster, George and Martin will likely start and one of them will guard the four. Off the bench, young players like Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin will push the veterans for minutes.
What is striking about Yabusele is that he is not afraid of a little competition. His presence adds even more excitement to an already interesting squad.
